I consider myself a DIY kind of guy. I know it’s a stereotypical trap, but “real” men think they should be able to fix most problems by sure ingenuity, and a lot of duct tape. If that doesn’t work YouTube has a video for just about any contingency. Someone said behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes, which is exactly what Mary Alice will be doing when she reads this. As they say, the road to Lowe’s and Home Depot is paved with great intentions, (with “intention“ being the keyword).
So, do we think the church is a DIY project? Or worse, do we think our very salvation is one? In this week’s lessons from Acts, Peter will discover quite the opposite after an enlightening dream and his subsequent meeting with the Roman centurion, Cornelius.
“Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone.” Acts 10:34-36 MSG
Peter learned that being a witness for Jesus would not be a self-service affair but one that would involve others by welcoming all God’s children. Whereas the church has often enforced a litmus test for being accepted by God, the only “test” that counts is whatever Jesus administers in the human heart, or as Peter says, “the One ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead “( v42).
Of all the things (and people) that I cannot fix, the most important one is, me! Only God can fix the human heart because:
“None can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:3)
Come and see,
Pastor Rob
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